Arizona vs Los Angeles: The Kings get two points on a comfortable road trip

Arizona and Los Angeles have traded away wins in the current regular season. Who will take the lead in the season series at the end of the upcoming game? We predict that the Kings will be closer to success!

Arizona are a team that is failing the current regular season, which can hardly surprise anyone. After all, the Coyotes' skill level is far from the league's top clubs. Nevertheless, they're in a very good part of the season at the moment, as they've only suffered four losses in their last seven meetings, with three wins. Yes, this result would be very mediocre for the vast majority of other NHL teams, but they can be proud of this local success. Sure, André Tourigny's men currently sit in last place in the Western Conference standings, but they're slowly catching up with the penultimate-seeded Seattle, which bodes well for the rest of the regular season.

Los Angeles are one of the California trio who were among the league's underdogs last season and now have suddenly resurrected themselves and are fighting for a playoff spot. In the current regular season, the Kings have hardly any major upsets, which is why they've been doing so well. In the last nine meetings, Todd McLellan's team had only one scoreless exit after a 2-5 loss to Edmonton, two losses to the Rangers and Philadelphia in overtime, 2-3 and 3-4 respectively, and six wins. This surge lifted Los Angeles to eighth place in the Western Conference standings.

Arizona and Los Angeles are teams of very different levels this season. If the Coyotes continue to reside among the NHL outsiders, the Kings have improved their playoff position. What's more, the California squad is in excellent form right now, winning six of their last nine meetings, while Arizona have seen very few spikes in action. Tournament motivation and current condition speak in favor of Todd McLellan's side, who have won the last six face-offs in Glendale, so it's a good bet on LA to win for 1.76.

Not only have Los Angeles consistently beaten Arizona on the road, but they have also scored quite a lot in these meetings. In the previous six head-to-head encounters at Hila River Arena, the Californians scored 22 times (3.67 average for the game), a respectable average. Moreover, the Glendale team has huge defensive problems, evidenced by the 186 goals conceded in 50 games this season (3.72 average per game). Given this, Los Angeles Total Over 3.5 pucks for 2.10 would seem to be a good bet.

Viktor Arvidsson is a forward who once played well for Nashville but had a poor last two seasons and moved to Los Angeles in the offseason. In California, the Swedish hockey player returned to action, allowing 32 points (13 goals + 19 assists) over 43 games, which already exceeded his record for the entire last regular season. However, there were more games than he played now. The 28-year-old is in good form, so a bet on Victor Arvidsson's Total Over 0.5-points for 3.00 is worth considering.